Patients in NY can now register for medical marijuana

The state Health Department on Wednesday launched its system for patients to enroll in New York’s medical marijuana program.

Patients who get certified by a physician registered by New York will be able to go online to enroll in the program, allowing them to buy medical marijuana when it is expected to become available next month.

The state has targeted early January for the five manufacturers to open its 20 dispensaries around New York.

“The launch of the state’s Medical Marijuana Patient Certification and Registration System marks the achievement of another milestone toward providing relief to all New Yorkers who may benefit from medical marijuana,” Dr. Howard Zucker, the state’s health commissioner, said in a statement.

Concerns have recently been raised about the state giving patients enough time to get certified to get medical marijuana, which will be available in non-smokeable forms for patients with specific illnesses.

But the five manufacturers said they are track to have the drug available at most of its dispensaries, and the state continues to assure the public that the system will be up and running on time.

The five manufacturing facilities are in Queens; Rochester; Fulton County near Amsterdam; Warren County in the North Country; and Orange County in the Hudson Valley.

Dispensing sites will include ones in Yonkers and White Plains in Westchester County; one in Rochester; one in Kingston; and one in Johnson City, Broome County.

To get the medical marijuana, a patient has to get a certificate from a registered physician. Then the patient would need to access the state’s online system to apply for a registry identification card.